Freezing apparatus



Jan 31, 1939. c. E. SMITH REEZING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 9, 193'? Invnior wksijS'rvw/ Jan. 31, 1939. c. E. SMITH FREEZING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-$heet 2 Filed Oct 9, 1937 'I II 1 1/ Inventor fiai'zffzsmelfz Affornelus 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 C. E. SMITH FREEZING APPARATUS Filed Oct 9, 195'? Jan.

Invnior 65E .Smz

Jan. 31, 1939. c E. SMITH FREEZ ING AP PARATUS Filed 001;. 9, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Inventor far'fszsmz'izi Attorneys Patented Jan. 31, 1939 UNITED: 'STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,145,637 I FREEZING APPARATUS Application October 9, 1937, Serial No. 108,282

4 Claims. This invention relates to afreezing apparatus or vault, and an object of the invention is to provide such an apparatus 'or vault as to render possible and to permit by its use the handling and freezing of all types of products such as sea foods, fruits, vegetables, meats, and produce, with the single machine or vault embodying the features of the present invention.

A further object of the invention is to provide for securing high speed freezing at moderate temperatures to the end that the freezing time required for any given product is reduced to a minimum and dehydration is reduced to a minimum as a result of the high speed at which any given product is frozen.

The invention, together with its objects and advantages, will be best understood from a study of the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the freezing machine or apparatus.

Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof.

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken substantially on the line 3--3 of Figure 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional View taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Figure 1 and.

looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary elevational view of a spray assembly with parts broken away and shown in section.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary top plan view of the spray assembly. 7

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a baflie.

Figure 9 is a detail view partly in section and partly in elevation showing a variable speed connection between the conveyor and driving motor therefor, and

Figure 10 is a side elevational view of the variable speed transmission device and viewing the same from the side thereof indicated by the arrow B in Figure 9.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a pair of antechambers l and 8 connected by an elongated tunnel 9, the walls of the chambers l and 8 and of the tunnel 9 being insulated as shown. i

Each of the antechambers l and 8 is provided at the front side thereof with a relatively large door in through which access to the interior of the chamber may be had and a relatively smaller door II, and through the smaller door ll crates,

cans, and the like, may be passed to and from the antechambers thereby eliminating the necessity of opening the larger door with the result that there will be a considerable saving of refrigeration which would otherwise be lost through 5 the opening of the larger door.

Also, one of the chambers, for example, the chamber 1, may be used as the loading chamber, and the chamber 8 as the unloading chamber, one

within the chamber 7 loading the products to be 0 frozen onto an endless conveyor l2 and one within the chamber 8 removing the frozen products from the conveyor. Conveyor l2 extends lengthwise of the tunnel 9 and is preferably in the form of an endless perforated apron of stainless steel or iron, depending on the freezing medium used, the perforations in the endless conveyor belt'allowing saturated air to pass therethrough and thereby 'creating increased rapidity of circulation through-the prod- 0 nets in process of freezing.

The conveyor apron i2 is trained over rollers l3 provided therefor at the respective opposite ends of the tunnel and these rollers aremounted on shafts M.

ratus. is driven through the medium of a variable speed transmission mechanism it from an electric motor or the prime mover it suitably mounted as posed relatively spaced bafiles i 8 which are somewhat Z-shape in end elevation, as suggested in Figure 8, and these bailies serve to separate the freezing medium from the air.

Disposed at the side of the bafiies l8 opposite to the conveyor l2, within the tunnel 9 is a spray 40 device which consists of a longitudinal feed pipe H! which is suitably connected with one end of a manifold pipe 20 that is connected with the outlet side of a pump 2! driven from an electric motor 22 suitably mounted as at 23' at one'side (the rear side) of ,the device, as shown in Figure'2.

The feed or manifold pipe l9 has rising therefrom a longitudinal series of vertical branches 2i, and each branch ii is provided with a. vertical series of spaced spray nozzles 22 through which V brine discharges for materially lowering the temperature within the tunnel. A While brine has been referred to as the preferred freezing medium, it'

will be understood that any freezing medium,

suitable for the purposeymay be used, and in as One of the shafts i l, exteriorly of the appaslope from the front to the rear of the tunnel and towards a tank or catch basin 24 arranged in the tunnel, the brine being received in the catch basin or tank 24 being returned to the-evaporating unit of the refrigerating machine (not shown) to be used over again, the said evaporating unit being connected with the intake side of the afore mentioned pump 2! through the medium of a conduit 25. I

For creating and maintaining a blast of air (static pressure) which thereby increases the removal of latent heat from the goods or products in process of freezing due to the saturated condition of the air, there is provided a battery of propellertype fans 26 of high velocity.

The fans 26 are disposed between the front wall of the tunnel 9 and the spray assembly, as clearly shown in Figure 5, and are driven by electric motors 21 mounted on suitable platforms 28 provided therefor and supported on the front wall of the tunnel 9 exteriorly of the latter through the medium of brackets 29.

As will beseen from Figure 5 the spray nozzles 22 discharge the brine toward the fans 26'and these fans force the brine spray against the baffles l8. The brine by coming in violent contact with the fans is not only broken up and mixed with the air but is held in the necessary suspension by the static pressure created by the fans, thereby producing a saturated air blast, which is the controlling principle of the invention.

From the above it will. be seen that in actual practice the products to .be frozen are, for example, placed on the conveyor l2 by'one occupying the antechamber I and through the medium of the conveyor said products are carried to the antechamber 8. During the transfer of the products from the chamber 1 to the chamber. 8, said 5 products will be subjected to a low temperature,

freezing air, setin circulation by the fans 22 and saturated with brine discharging from the spray nozzles 22, circulating about the products as the same on the conveyor i2 pass through'the tunnel. The frozen products are removed from the conveyor i2'by.an occupant of the antechamber 3 and may be sed to one exteriorly of the chamber 3 through the .door of said chamber.

Ingress and egress to the chambers I and 8 are throughthe doors l0 thereof.

vAs is. readily apparent the length of time require'dfor freezinglproducts will depend on the size of the products and accordingly the conveyor l2 must move at a rate of speed sufllcient to insure a-thorough freezing of the products whether the time required for that purpose be long or.

' short. Hence the provision of the variable speed transmission mechanism l5 connecting the motor 16 with the shaft ll of the conveyor. While any suitable transmission mechanism may be employed, there is illustrated, for the purpose of eirempliflcation only, a variable: speed mechanism which in the present instance consists of pairs of pulleys, one pairof pulleys consisting of the pul-, leys including a, tapered or substantially frustoconical pulley 30 mounted on the motor shaft 13a to rotate with said shaft and also to sllde -longi-;

tudirially of.the shaft and a similar pulley 3| mounted on the motor shaft Ila against longitudinal movement relative thereto and for rota-- in said nto 32a.

tive movement therewith; while the other pair of pulleys includes a pulley 32 mounted on the aforementioned conveyor shaft M to rotate with said shaft and to move longitudinally relative thereto, and a similar and complemental pulley 33 mounted on the aforementioned shaft M to rotate therewith and being held on the shaft against longitudinal movement relative to the shaft.

Trained. over the pulleys 30 to 33 inclusive, is a substantially v-type belt 34 for transmitting drive from shaft lie to the aforementioned shaft Suitably mounted on the wall of the vault is a bracket 35 to which is pivoted as at 36 the intermediate portion of the shank of a shifting fork 31, the shank of the fork 31 at one end being formed into the fork 38, proper, the legs of which fork straddle the hub 32a of pulley 32 and are provided with pins 33 that engage in a groove 4t Adjacent the opposite end thereof the shank of'thefork 31 is formed to provide'an elongated loop 4| that accommodates the hub 30a. of pulley 30 and at opposite sides of the loop there are provided pins 42 that engage in a groove 43 provided in the periphery of the aforementioned hub 30a.

At the end thereof remote from the fork 33 the shank of the fork'is provided with a slot 44 that accommodates an operating screw 45, the slotted end of the shank of fork 31 being disposed between a pair of stop collars 46 on the screw 45.

Screw has a threaded portion threaded through the eye 41 of a suitably mounted bracket.l8 and to facilitate turning of the screw there is provided at the free end of the latter a handle 43.

Thus it will be seen that the speed of the conveyor i2 may be varied by threading the screw in the proper direction through the eye 41 whereby to swing the fork 31 about its pivot 33 to, for example, move the pulley 33 away from its complemental pulley 3| and consequently move the pulley 32 toward its complemental pulley 33, or vice versa, dependent upon whether a high or low speed drive between the motor l3 and conveyor shaft I4 is desired.

- From the foregoing it will be seen that a freezing machine or apparatus embodying the features, of the present invention is substantially continuous in operation, insures high speed freezing at moderate temperatures; incorporates a freezing medium spray with blast air in such a manner, to form a saturated blast of freezing air on the products being frozen. thereby hastening the removal of its latent heat and reducing to 'a minimum dehydration to the end that s.

better preserved product, maintaining its original flavor and savor results.

It is thought that a clear understanding of theconstruction, utility. and. advantages and operation of a freezing machine or apparatus emsite tothe'conveyor for spraying a freezing meu msmgmsmg a miruf antechambem and tunnel cannecting saw chambers, a, wnveyorefl wzifiimnthe tunnel E01" fizmmferfmg paradm be fmmenfmm we m we mid. camvwyar being 'gmeflom'hefl, 1mm mm @Efififi M Mamas in the mmnei at one aide L @mveyor, means fm' forcing air through 'sim, mm mwns Emsprwim we ma Wiillh s2. cum-mg memum befom it reachea me 3 freezing apparatus 0f the character fleacfiwe-m cnmprismg a1 .pmr of antechamiwem and & mmml minimum mm chambers, a conveyor m- "mthm the mm for hmnsiwrmg pmzfl- Jan he zfmmm 15mm one amtemmmber to the h the 01mm mm a flreemmg medium, and means withm the. tunnel for setting up a fem-e01 c1? emulation 0f air.

A freemm appmmus we clasfi descflheai cnmpriamg a, tunnel, a 'ver'iaicafil arrangement M mamas in the tunnel, means for mnveymg mm elves to be: imam tlm'mugh the tunnel 0m: side @f the mfiles, fans at the sppnsiwve side of the bmffles. for fmcing m2: therethwugh and spray means far sprawl ng a freezing medium towaz'fl' the fans, said wmymg means being lucmed be tween me fans and the Mamas. 

